Connecticut western news., 1887-12-07
A YEARS WORK.
Report of the Interior Department
 for the Fiscal Year.


 Secretary Lamar has submitted his repo of the Interior Department for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1887. It is rather volumin- ous document, 8 trifle over 4l pages of printed matter, and it deals at great length with the public lands question and also the Indian affairs.
 The number of acres of land disposed of during the past fiscal year, under the various acts of Congress authorizing sales, entries, and selections, aggregates B, Ill, ,4OO.S4 of which 146, 37.29 acres were Indian lands, 5,511, ,S07 33 railroad selections and 2, 1O9 431 AS selections under other grants, the aggre- gate amount showing an increase of ,S62,- 524.55 acres as compared with the previous year. The receipts from disposal of the pub lie lands were $10. TS3, ,92l.T3; from sales of Indian lands, S1, ,4S4, 3O2. 30; a total of S12,- 26S, x4S an increase over the previous year of $3, 257, 27.O8. To which is to be added SS, 291 received on account of timber depreda- tons, and $l2, 49S.S5 received for certified copies of records furnished by the General Land Office, making receipts of that bureau from all sources SIP, ,2S9, ,O0S.S7.
 The total number of entries and filings made during the year was 244S, IFS, covering 38 3S7,- US9. Al acres; an increase of ITO over the pre- vlous year; while the number of original home- stead entries was 52, OPS, covering area of 2 7,594, $50 16 acres; a decrease of 9,610 entries and $50, 7S5. 60 acres. Final proof was made on 19, ,S66 homestead entries, of which 10, ,201 were commuted homestead entries and 321 purchased under the act of June 15, 1880; an increase of 510 entries and S5, ,5O5.65 acres. The pre-emptlon entries were 2l, 4O3, embrac- ing 3, 172 All 80 acres an increase of 5,691 en- tries and of S93, 5.4l acres.
 Under the desert land act ?, 242 entries were made, embracing 751 ,0l4.O9 acres; a decrease of 276 entries and 2,67454 acres.
 Under the timber and stone act of June 3, ls1S, 655 entries, embracing So, 6sa acres, were made, being an increase of 226 entries and 29, 92S acres as compared with 1886.
 During the year ,3S2 mineral entries were made, covering 28, 787.82 acres. This is 8 de- crease of 19 entries and an increase of T. 400 acres. This does not include S4 coal en- tries, covering II, 461 acres, an increase of entries and of ,2A acres.
 The number of patents issued during the year upon agricultural lands was 24, ,55S, an increase of 1, 073 over the previous year, but decrease, as compared with 1885, of 48,614. The new administration was confronted by great number of cases growing out of abuses and evasions of the law in obtaining fraudu- lent possession of land titles. The cases are nearly cleared away, and new rules to remedy these abuses have been put in operation and are acting well. The report endorses the Land Commissioners suggestion that more special agents be appointed to look after the Government interests, and to prevent violations or evasions of the law, but says that the most liberal appropriations for this purpose will be inadequate to prevent the
 
 either by actual frauds or such technical con- pliance with the pre-emption, timber culture. and desert land laws, as will violate and defeat the great policy of our public land system look ing to the preservation of the public lands for the abodes of our homeless people, to be ac- quirel by actual settlement, residence, and cultivation. With these laws in force and the appliances used for their perversion in vigor- ous operation every attempt by mere admins trative agencies to prevent the evils com rn1o nn1 of and
 Secretary Lamar earnestly recommends the total repeal of the pre-emptionlaws, the timber culture acts, and the relinquishment acts, with the cash entry laws and the desert land laws.
 In the matter of pensions the report makes the following recommendations:
 "In addition to the suggestions made by the Commissioner of Pensions, my attention has been called to the fact that, under existing laws, dependent orphan children of deceased soldiers, who may be entitled to pension, can not have such pension continued beyond the lge of sixteen, regardless of their physical or mental condition. There are few instances :n which such children are (physically and mentally) utterly incapccitated for earning their own livelihood, and in instances where it is made clearly to appear that the condition of mental imbecility or insanity, or such fee bleness of mind or body, exists as to make these children utterly helpless for earning their own livelihood, it seems right that pen sion should be continued to them for longer period.
 s'The comparisons instituted in the report of the Commissioner of Pensions with the pen sion laws and systems of other modern powers tend to show with unmistaken clearness, first, the liberality of the Government of the United States in dealing with it's pensioners, far ex- ceeding in general allowance and in the az gregate the amounts paid out by the Govern ments in other lands to their pensioners; and in the next place showing that ill our American system comparatively few dis functions are made on account of rank as compared with the distinctions made on this account in the other systems. There prevails in the system of pension laws in this country the great democratic idea of equality of man, and pensions are issued rather on the ground of individual disablement than on account of rank previously borne in the military service. Such distinctions are still maintained, it is true, but they are slight as compared with those maintained in other countries.
 "1n addition to the recommendation of the Commissioner of Pensions, would suggest that widows who remarry, and who may sub sequently become widows, or be divorced without fault on their part, should have their pensions revived to them for the period of such second widowhood."
 The lack of room in the Patent Office is a source of Inconvenience and even of time | which, in the opinion of the office, would equal the expense of erecting the additional buildings The number of patents applied | for during the year was 35 ASA; number grant ed, 21, ,732. The receipts from all sources were | S1, ,15O, ,046; the expenditures, S9S1 ,644. Dur | ing the year ending June 30 1SS6 the receipts